“It wasn’t easy. I actually enlisted the help of your mother, if you can believe that. Now that she’s given up on me being her son-in-law, she’s been surprisingly supportive of my current relationship.” He glanced over his shoulder at Marisol, who was being mopped up by Chloe and Sloane.
“She’s been very supportive of mine as well,” I said, jabbing Lucah in the ribs with my elbow and making him wince. “You look really good, Fin.” He did. His suit actually fit his tall frame, and cut in all the right places. Marisol was a lucky woman. She came over and couldn’t stop giggling as Fin gave her another kiss and then dragged her away so they could dance.
“We can’t let them show us up on the dance floor, can we?” Lucah said, taking my hand and leading me to the space in front of the tables that was cleared for dancing. Marisol had found a replacement band, and I didn’t know what the original had sounded like, but the replacements were fabulous, playing the old standards mixed with some newer songs so they could please the diverse crowd.
The rest of our crew followed behind Lucah and me. Tate and April, who looked stunning in her white dress; Ryder and Sloane, who looked like a walking silver screen siren in rose gold and then Chloe in green with one of her male coworkers (who also happened to be g*y, but went with her to formal events as her heterosexual beard).
The band struck up a new song, and after a second I realized it was a slower version of “Royals” by Lorde. It took me back to the first ball and how I’d been so happy to dance with Lucah. I’d been bursting with so much happiness and love I didn’t think it could grow any more.
But it had. I adored him even more than I did on that night. And a year from now I’d probably love him more, and the year after that and so on. Forever.
“I can’t wait to marry you, Miss Clarke. Or should I say, future Mrs. Blythe,” Lucah said in my ear as we waltzed to the non-traditional song.
“Mrs. Blythe,” I said, testing out the name. My potential name. I didn’t know how I felt about it. I’d been Rory Clarke for my entire life. I didn’t know how to be anyone else. Lucah had the luxury of trying different identities on. I was sure if he really wanted to, he could become anyone. But I would always be Rory Clarke.
“Or maybe you want to keep your name?” Lucah said after a few beats of silence. He’d done it again, read my mind.
“How about we compromise?” I said moving my hand up his neck and tugging a tiny bit on the hair on the back of his head. “How does Mrs. Clarke-Blythe sound?” Rory Clarke-Blythe. Yes. I could be her.
He chuckled in my ear, sending shivers racing down my spine. Ryder had finally found a job busing tables at a local restaurant, so he’d moved out this morning. Tonight was going to be our first night in our apartment with just the two of us again, and I knew both of us had more than a few plans as to what to do with our returned privacy.
“I like the sound of that, almost future Mrs. Clarke-Blythe. Or I could take your name. I could be Lucah Clarke. We’ve never really been the traditional couple, have we?” No, we certainly hadn’t. Most couples didn’t start out as a one-night stand. But tradition was boring.
“I just want you to be you. Lucah Jacob Blythe. Nobody else.” He pulled back and I raised my head from where it had rested on his chest to meet his gaze.
“You be Rory and I’ll be Lucah.” He twirled me under his arm and I giggled as I nearly crashed into Sloane where she danced nearby with Ryder.
“As long as I get to call you mine,” I said.
And now for a sneak peek at Dark Surrendering (Surrender Saga, Book Three) coming Summer 2014…
“You look stunning tonight, Sloane,” Ryder said in my ear as we waltzed. I was shocked when he asked me to dance, because he didn’t seem like the kind of guy who would know how to waltz. I’d agreed and his hand had gone around my waist to rest on my back, right where my dress had a cutout. Skin to skin.
I shivered at the touch of his warm hand as he took a step, and then another moving in perfect time to the music.
“Thank you. I didn’t know you could dance,” I said as I rested my head on his shoulder. He chuckled, his breath teasing my hair. My skin was ablaze, my heart fluttering madly like it did whenever I was near him.
“There are a lot of things you don’t know about me.” I had no response to that. It seemed like the more time I spent with him, the more questions I had. We spun and I watched Lucah dancing with Rory. He said something and she threw her head back and laughed. I was so happy for her, but that didn’t stop the jealousy monster rearing his ugly head. I punched him in the mouth and focused back on Ryder, which wasn’t hard to do. I’d taken extra special care to tailor his suit to his body, making sure it showed off his glorious arms and the expanse of his back. I couldn’t see his tattoos, but just knowing they were there made me ache in all the right places.
His fingers moved up and down my spine and he pulled me closer.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to come over?” I said. This was the second time tonight I’d offered to come over to his new place and “help him unpack.” And by “help him unpack,” I meant put his stuff in my box. Over. And over.
“Sloane,” he said, his fingers stilling on my back and his feet stopping their movement. I stumbled a little and looked up at him.
“We’ve talked about this. I used to be that guy who would… But I’m not anymore. You’re too important to me, and I don’t want to f**k this up.” He wouldn’t have minded just a few weeks ago. In fact, he’d propositioned me the very first time we met. But since his overdose, he’d changed. Not that I was unhappy about the change. That guy who I’d met when Rory and Lucah had moved was powerful and commanding and sent off every warning bell in my head.
I looked up into his clear blue eyes and I could still see that guy. The guy who’d looked at me as if he wanted to possess me. Even though his mouth was saying no, those eyes… they were saying yes.